The present invention relates generally to methods and devices for joining or positioning bodily tissue in surgical applications and wound repair, and more particularly to a surgical suturing method and devices for joining or positioning bodily tissue using a suture having a plurality of barbs that permit the suture to be pulled through the tissue in one direction but resist movement of the suture relative to the tissue in the opposite direction.
Single-directional barbed sutures have a plurality of barbs that permit the suture to be pulled through tissue in one direction, but resist movement of the suture in the tissue in the opposite direction. Such sutures may have one end that is pointed to allow penetration and passage through tissue in the one direction and another end that is an anchor which engages the tissue at the initial insertion point to prevent further movement in the one direction. Bi-directional barbed sutures may have barbs extending in one direction at one end and opposing barbs at the other end, preventing movement of the suture through tissue in either direction between two pointed ends.
Methods for placement of barbed sutures in tissue include, but are not limited to, straight, zig-zag, and curvilinear patterns such as alpha, sinusoidal, and corkscrew. In general such patterns terminate in an alignment coincident with the pattern, meaning, for example, that a straight pattern terminates along a straight path, a sinusoidal pattern terminates along a sinusoidal path, and so forth.
Barbed sutures may be used to approximate tissue adjacent to a wound or a tissue separation, or to position and support tissue where there is no wound in procedures such as cosmetic surgery.